A 24-year-old woman in Preah Vihear province yesterday gave birth to what officials are calling the first set of quadruplets recorded since Cambodia began tracking multiple births in 1999.

Chhay Sopha went into labour at a district health centre in Preah Vihear’s Rovieng district yesterday morning, district governor Ek Sarou said.

“This morning at about 9am, a woman delivered four children; I got the information from doctors at Rovieng Health Centre, who said they are healthy,” Sarou said. “Two baby girls and two baby boys.”

After the births, Sopha, who previously had one child that died in infancy, was moved to the provincial hospital, as the centre at which she gave birth lacks necessary resources, said Provincial Deputy Governor Om Sophoeung.

It took about an hour for Sohpa to give birth to the babies, who weigh between 1.3 and 2.2 kilograms each, said Kong Ban, director of the health centre.

Since 1999, 271 women have birthed triplets, said Sieng Tieng, an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Traditionally treated as unofficial godchildren, the premier typically awards the birth family with 3 million riel (about $750) along with 20 kilograms of rice.

As to whether the extra baby will mean extra presents, Tieng couldn’t say.

“These are [Cambodia’s] first quadruplets; I do not know how much Hun Sen will give.”